I am a Tombstone Tourist: someone who loves to wander cemeteries. I find it akin to visiting a museum: an opportunity to enjoy rarely seen sculpture, intricate carvings, and amazing architecture, all in a tranquil outdoor setting. This blog is about cemetery culture, art, history, issues of death, and genealogy - subjects of current relevance. I usually find something that intrigues me and makes me want to dig deeper. Care to join me? Read on...

Friday, September 27, 2013

It
had been a dark rain-swept evening in Whitechapel when just before 1:00 a.m. on
September 30, 1888 the alarm was raised; another prostitute had been found with
her throat cut. After three weeks of an uneasy quiet, Jack the Ripper had
struck again. Forty-five year old Elizabeth Stride was considered, by police,
to be his third victim.

Sweden

Elisabeth
Gustafsdotter was born on November 27, 1843 in Torslanda, Sweden, the daughter
of Swedish parents. She was shown to be working as a domestic for Lars
Frederick Olofsson in 1860, and moved to the Gothenburg district in 1862. By
1865, Elizabeth was registered with the police as a prostitute and had given
birth to a stillborn girl. In 1866, she moved to London for work.

Elizabeth Stride

Elizabeth
was said to be an attractive woman with dark brown hair, grey eyes, and an angular
face. And at five-foot-five, she was considered to be a tall woman. On March 7,
1869 she married John Thomas Stride. Stride was a ship’s carpenter, well over a
decade older than her. Together, they operated a coffee room in East London for
six years.

Women in a workhouse

By
March 1877, Elizabeth Stride, nicknamed “Long Liz”, was living at the Poplar
Workhouse. She and John made attempts at reconciliation but by the end of 1881
they had permanently separated. She was known to embellish her stories
concerning her husband and her former life with him. John died of heart disease
in October 1884.

Michael Kidney

Elizabeth
received some charitable aid from the Church of Sweden and spent most of her life
at a common lodging house in Whitechapel. In 1885 she moved in with a local dockworker,
Michael Kidney, on Devonshire Street.

Elizabeth
earned some money by cleaning houses and sewing. People who knew her said she
had a good temperament but could become unruly when drunk.

Flower & Dean Streets in Pink, Murders in Red

Stride
and Kidney continued to live together, on and off. In the spring of 1887, Elizabeth
filed an assault charge against him but never showed up for court. She and
Kidney were again on the outs in the autumn of 1888, and she moved out just a
few days before her death. She found lodging at a common house at 32 Flower and
Dean Streets in Spittalfields, her last address.

Liz Talking with a Man

Elizabeth spent most of the evening of Saturday the 29th
walking the streets and talking with men. She was dressed all in black with a
kerchief tied around her neck. Police Constable William Smith last saw her at
12:35 a.m., talking with a man across from the International Working Men’s
Educational Club, a Jewish socialist club on Berner Street. PC Smith later
reported that the man had been carrying a package wrapped in newspaper about 18
inches long.

Finding Liz Stride

Concerned Crowds

It was just before 1:00 a.m. when Louis Diemschultz, a
peddler and the club’s steward, discovered Stride’s body in the darkness of
Dutfield’s Yard. Dr. Frederick W. Blackwell was called to the scene and kept
order until Dr. George Bagster Phillips arrived. Phillips had also been called
to the scene of Annie Chapman’s murder.

Elizabeth Stride's Death Certificate

Phillips reported that Elizabeth was found lying on
her side with her face turned toward the wall. According to Phillips, “The
legs were drawn up with the feet close to the wall. The body and face were warm
and the hand cold. The legs were quite warm… The throat was deeply gashed.”

Elizabeth Stride

Interrupted?

But the body had not been mutilated.
Police began to wonder if this was the same murderer who had killed the other
Whitechapel prostitutes. Did Diemschultz startle the Ripper and he fled before mutilating the body, or was
this a different murderer?

Wynne E. Baxter

The inquest into Stride’s death
began on Monday, October 1 at the Vestry Hall, conducted by coroner Wynne Edwin
Baxter, who had also presided over Annie Chapman's and Polly Nichol’s inquests.

Headlines About the Murder

It was suggested that the murderer
grabbed the scarf Stride was wearing around her neck, and pulled her backward
with it before cutting her throat. The fact that she was still holding a packet
of cachous (breathe mints) showed that she had not had time to defend herself
and had not suspected anything was amiss.

Testimonies were conflicting and
descriptions of the man she was last seen with differed from witness to witness
with each telling. Investigators decided that this was another victim of the
Whitechapel murderer because of the many similarities to the other two
murderers, which had occurred just a few weeks earlier.

East London Cemetery

Elizabeth Stride was buried on
Saturday October 6, 1888 in the East London Cemetery in grave 15509, square 37.
The local parish paid for her burial.

Police Station

Michael Kidney reportedly appeared
drunk at the Leman Street police station on the day after the murder, claiming
police incompetence. Kidney told police that if he had been a policeman on duty
that night in the area where Liz was murdered, he would have shot himself (for
incompetence.)Kidney was considered a
suspect in Stride’s murder but was later eliminated from the inquiry.

Meanwhile, the same night –

Catherine Eddowes had spent part of her
rainy Saturday night in custody at the Bishopsgate Police Station. She had been
picked up around 8:30 p.m. drunk and lying in the middle of Aldgate High
Street. Eddowes remained at the station until around 1:00 a.m. when she was
sober enough to walk out. She was last seen alive at 1:35 a.m.

Streets of London

Catherine “Kate” Eddowes was born on
April 14, 1842 to George Eddowes, a tinplate worker and his wife, Catherine, in
Graisley Green, Wolverhampton, England. She was their eleventh child. Kate’s
parents moved to London the next year and she grew up in the city.

Flower & Dean Streets

In the early 1860’s, Kate left home
and moved in with an ex-soldier, Thomas Conway. They had three children, and
worked together selling cheap books and ballads. By 1881, she had left Conway
and was living at Cooney’s Lodging House on Flower and Dean Streets with John
Kelly.

Catherine Eddowes

Kate was known as a friendly woman,
always singing, except when she had been drinking, and then she was known to
have a raging temper. At five feet tall, with auburn hair and hazel eyes, she
was considered to be a handsome woman.

Her former partner, Thomas Conway,
and her children kept their addresses secret from her to discourage her from
seeking them out for money or assistance.

Hop-Picking

During the summer of 1888, Kate and
John Kelly went hop-picking in Kent. They returned to London when the harvest
was over but their money was soon spent. That
Saturday morning, the 29th, Kate and Kelly split the last of their
funds. Eddowes decided to go see her daughter, Annie Phillips in Bermondsey,
and plead for money. Kate did not know that her daughter had moved, yet again,
leaving no forwarding address.

Cooney's Lodging House

Kelly pawned his boots that rainy
evening and bought a bed at the lodging house. The lodging keeper reported that
he did not leave again that night.

Map of Aldgate

Kate was not reportedly seen again
until that evening when she imitated a fire engine to the delight of the crowd
gathered on Aldgate High Street. She then passed out in the street and a city
police constable took her to the station to sober up.She was heard singing to herself around 12:15
a.m. and released about 1 a.m.

Eddowes's Body Found

Three men saw Kate leave the
Imperial Club at 1:35 a.m. She stopped and talked with a man at the corner of
Duke Street and Church Passage. One of the men, Joseph Lawende, describes the
man with Eddowes in detail, stating that he was possibly a sailor.

Eddowes Face

It was less than 15 minutes later that
Catherine Eddowes body was discovered in Miter Square by Police Constable Edward
Watkins. Kate had been severely mutilated, and her throat had been cut.

London police surgeon, Dr. Fredrick
Gordon Brown was called to the murder scene and arrived around 2 a.m. Brown
reported that “The body was on its back,
the head turned to left shoulder… The intestines were drawn out to a large
extent and placed over the right shoulder… Body was quite warm. No death
stiffening had taken place. She must have been dead most likely within the half
hour.”

Wentworth Model Dwellings

Police also found a couple of clues
this time. At about 3 a.m., a piece of the apron Eddowes had been wearing was
discovered lying in the doorway to rooms at Wentworth Model Dwellings on
Goulston Street in Whitechapel. The apron piece had blood and feces on it and
it appeared that something had been wiped with it.

Police also discovered written on
the wall above the apron piece was graffiti that read, “The Juwes are the men that Will not be Blamed for nothing". There
was some debate as to the exact wording since Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir
Charles Warren had the chalked words quickly washed away, afraid they would incite an
anti-Jewish riot.

Morgue Photo of Catherine Eddowes

Eddowes body was taken to the City
Mortuary. Brown continued his postmortem there and reported that her face had
been mutilated, and a piece of ear and the tip of her nose cut loose. Brown
later testified that the cause of death was a hemorrhage from the left common
carotid with death occurring immediately.

Suspects

The inquiry into Catherin Eddowes
death opened on October 4 by City Coroner Samuel F. Langham. According to Dr. Brown’s report at
the inquiry, “…the left kidney carefully
taken out and removed…
“I believe the perpetrator of the act
must have had considerable knowledge of the position of the organs in the
abdominal cavity and the way of removing them… I think the perpetrator of this
act had sufficient time ... It would take at least five minutes. ...
I believe it was the act of one person.”

On Monday, October 1 police received
a post card that referred to “Saucy Jack” and claimed responsibility for Stride and
Eddows murders. The postcard read:

“I was not codding dear old Boss
when I gave you the tip, you'll hear about Saucy Jacky's work tomorrow double
event this time number one squealed a bit couldn't finish straight off had not
the time to get ears for police. thanks for keeping last letter back till I got
to work again.”

Jack the Ripper

But upon later consideration,
authorities and many Ripper historians believe that the postcard was actually
the work of a local journalist, trying to stir up the police and the public,
making for good headlines.

Crowds Line Street

Catherine Eddowes was buried on
Monday October 8, 1888. It seemed that all of Whitechapel turned out to walk
Kate to the cemetery. Thousands lined the streets as the funeral procession
passed. Hundreds more gathered at the burial site along with four of Kate’s
sisters, two nieces and John Kelly.

Catherine Eddowes was buried in an
elm coffin in an unmarked grave at the City of London Cemetery in Manor Park
Cemetery. Her grave number was 49336, square 318. Kate’s burial was paid for by
a Mr. G.C. Hawkes, a vestryman from St. Luke’s. In 1996, the City Cemetery
placed a plaque in remembrance of her.

Friday, September 20, 2013

Autumn
is the season for falling leaves, cozy fires, candied apples, and ghostly
tales. No other season lends itself with such atmosphere to those stories of
lost souls, unseen beings and mysterious beasts traveling just beyond the
perimeter of our world.

And
we love to hear them, to be scared by them. Just look at the number of urban
legends, ghost stories and horrifying tales that are on the internet. Not to
mention the recent incursion of paranormal shows on television and radio.

Old Man

Pliny the Younger

Fact
is, mankind has told ghost stories since ancient times. The concept of a ghost
story began over two thousand years ago when Roman statesman and author Pliny
the Younger (A.D. 61 – 115) told such tales in his letters. His accounts were of
an old man in chains with a beckoning finger whose restless spirit haunted
Pliny’s house. Pliny’s tales were so vivid, he was sought out to tell and
retell the story.

Soul Departing Body

Pirate Ghost

Most
cultures, then as now, believe that a person’s soul or spirit exists
independently of his or her body, and continues to be present after death. It
is thought that phantoms appear because they have unfinished business on earth,
or because they are apprehensive about how, or if, they were buried properly.
Most places that are haunted are associated with the ghost through
emotions or something that happened there.

Poltergeist

Specters
have been seen all over the world. In 856 A.D. a poltergeist (German for noisy ghost) was reported to be tormenting a family in Germany.

Ann Boleyn's Ghost

In
England, the ghost of Anne Boleyn has been seen in the Tower of London many times since
her execution there in 1536.

Haunted U.S.

The
U.S. is a country that has always been full of ghostly lore. And according to a new Gallup poll conducted this year, 37% of Americans believe in ghosts.

Native
Americans would tell spirit stories around campfires as a way to instill values,
strengthen their history, and help preserve their culture. Most of these
stories involved morals aimed at making the younger members of the community
think about their actions and decisions.

From Lithobolia

New Hampshire

The
first settlers ghost story is said to have taken place in a tiny town in New
Hampshire. In the spring of 1682, the home and tavern of George and Alice Walton suddenly became
plagued by falling rocks, inside and out. The rocks fell for three months. No matter where the family went to try and escape, the phenomena
followed them and the rocks would continue to pound whatever building they were
in. But suddenly, as abruptly as the event began, it stopped. No
explanation was ever found for why it had occurred although the secretary of the colony of New Hampshire, Richard Chamberlain, wrote a pamphlet about it, but the incidents remains a mystery to
this day.

George Washington

Union Troops

Several
of our presidents and founding fathers have been encountered as ghosts roaming their
former haunts.

President
George Washington’s ghost appeared to Union soldiers outside of Gettysburg
during the bloody battle. Washington appeared on a white stallion, raised up
his sword and issued the command, “Fix bayonets. Charge!” The Union soldiers,
following his order, charged down the hill and forced the Confederates into a
full retreat. It is said that Washington can still be seen each summer,
galloping across the battlefield of Gettysburg.

Benjamin Franklin

Franklin's Statue

Benjamin
Franklin was a statesman, inventor, writer, scientist and philosopher during
his long life. But it appears that Franklin had a special fondness for Philadelphia and
the American Philosophical Society. He has been seen near the society’s library
from time to time, and some report that he has inhabited his statue, located nearby and gone out dancing in the streets.

Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln's Ghost

President
Abraham Lincoln’s life ended by an assassin’s bullet and his spirit has never
rested easy. His ghost haunts the hallways of the White House, and his silhouette
can be seen standing in the Oval office window as he continues to await word on
the progression of the war. Lincoln’s spirit has also been seen in Springfield, Illinois
his former home, where he wanders the old Capitol Building and the city streets late into the night.

M.R. James

The
classic ghost story came about during the Victorian Age, from 1840 to 1920.
These stories contained the fundamentals of folklore touched with
psychology.Author M.R. James, known for
his ghost stories at the turn of the century, remarked that the essential
elements of a ghost story are “the stoney
grin of unearthly malice, “malevolence and terror, the glare of evil faces, and
“long distant screams.”

Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol

The Turn of the Screw

Some
of our best-loved ghost stories are from this period and include A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, The Turn of the Screw by Henry James and
Oscar Wilde’s comedy The Canterville
Ghost.

Today, we can sit in the comfort of our living rooms and be scared silly watching such
television shows as Ghost Mine, Ghost
Hunters, Stalked by a Ghost, and Notorious Hauntings. And since the 1970s,
movies about ghosts have been an extremely popular genre.

Urban
legends are our modern versions of folklore; they change as our world changes but they still echo our fears and provide us with an ethical message couched in
a cautionary tale, warning us about what could happen if we take something too far.

Deatha

The Hammersmith Ghost

Ghost
stories offer us a way to be frightened but still maintain control over our
lives. They help us to bond with others, sharing stories and fears that will
end when the story is finished. Ghost stories are an escape into another realm
that delivers more fear than our current situation. When you’re worrying about
monsters and ghosts and demons, you’re not worrying about what you have to do
tomorrow. And when the tale is done, suddenly, tomorrow doesn’t seem so bad…

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